Following the Boston Marathon, a quote by former PBS icon Mr. Rogers to “look for the helpers” in times of tragedy has gone viral.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,’” Rogers once told his young audience.
During this time of great upheaval centered in Boston, many people are seeking to lift where they stand.
Twenty-year-old Haley Busby hopes to lend a hand from her hometown of Syracuse, Utah, after experiencing first-hand the events that transpired at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Busby's race ended shortly after she passed the 26-mile marker. The first explosion went off with less than a quarter mile left in her run, immediately stopping the race.
But Busby, a current Miss Utah contestant, will use her passion for running to help the victims of the Boston bombings. Busby organized a 5K fun run, Strong is the New Beautiful 5K, in Syracuse. The run will be held April 20 at 8 a.m. at Jensen Park in Syracuse. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
All proceeds from the event will go to The Children's Miracle Network and to victims of the Boston community. Donation boxes will also be available for participants and spectators to contribute.
Busby will participate in the Miss Utah Scholarship Pageant in Salt Lake City from June 19-22.
In Seattle, a woman who has sent out more than 300 superhero capes to deserving children will send her handiwork to the victims in Boston.
Robyn Rosenberger said in an interview with Seattle’s King 5 news that she was inspired by the realization that the sister of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in one of the blasts, was still here and she wanted to do something for her and the other children who were hurt.
Martin Richard was killed in the bombing on Monday while cheering on his father, who was running.
“We lost something really great and what I really thought about during that time is his sister, you know, she is still here,” Rosenberger said.
Rosenberger said she hopes the capes will put a smile on the faces of the children.
The desire to reach out to those in need has filled the blogosphere as well.
Blogger Sarah M. Eden extended a challenge to her followers to be an influence for good in what can appear to be such a violent and harsh world.
Eden invited readers to perform random acts of kindness on April 22 in commemoration of the one-week anniversary of the attacks.
“Let's counter random acts of violence and hatred with random acts of service and compassion,” Eden blogged in an April 19 post.
And in Columbus, Ohio, runners are working to raise money for the victims of the tragedy.
Katie Cordova of Merion Village, Ohio, organized a “Run for Boston,” which will be held Sunday evening. The free event will consist of a 4.09-mile run, representative of the marathon time of the first explosion.
The 27-year-old mom said that targeting marathon runners was a poor choice for someone trying to kill the human spirit.
“They’re the toughest, craziest people around. And this is such a positive event,” Cordova told the Columbus Dispatch on Friday.
Other runs in honor of Boston have been set in several other cities including Midland, Texas; Minneapolis; and Reno, Nev.
Emmilie Buchanan is an intern for the Deseret News with Mormon Times. She recently graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho. Contact her at ebuchanan@deseretnews.com